


Regret

by AuthorInDistress



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Murder, Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Murder, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-28 16:09:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16245203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorInDistress/pseuds/AuthorInDistress
Summary: The second Oikawa heard that the investigation was now closed, he stood and cleaned his entire house three times over before sitting back on the edge of his sofa and staring at the blank television screen opposite him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was prompted 'murder'.

.

The second Oikawa heard that the investigation was now closed, he stood and cleaned his entire house three times over before sitting back on the edge of his sofa and staring at the blank television screen opposite him.

According to the reporter, it had been a day since it's official closing and he’d switched the channel off calmer than he ever thought he would have after learning that.

The reporter had said that the reason for the closure had been because Riku Sasaki had apparently admitted to his crimes and when asked where the body of his latest victim was, he'd told police that he'd burnt it. A search for ashes was useless and difficult, so with the admission, police had left the crime scene to handle their paperwork instead. The area was still closed off but vacated nonetheless, thus leading to a closure.

Oikawa had visited it twice before already. The first time he'd been told to leave and had been warned off, the second time Tobio’s mother had been there and had told the officers to let him stay. He wished she hadn't. If she knew the truth about everything, about Tobio and him, she’d hate him. Not thank him for teaching her son.

Sighing, he rose to dust the television’s screen with the back of his hand when there was a knock and he turned toward the sound, his stomach turning. He didn’t want to but he opened the door anyway and saw Iwaizumi standing there. And though he'd expected it, the sight of his red-rimmed eyes and haunted look was enough to make him collapse.

“ _Iwa-chan_ \- ” He tipped but was caught and Iwaizumi led him in, putting him on the sofa and shutting the door behind them.

“Where are your parents?” He asked, his voice thick, like he had a cold. Oikawa shrugged, “You’ve been alone all day?”

“I've been cleaning.” He told him instead of answering, and Iwaizumi sat beside him, “I thought – ” He started but the words stuck. Iwaizumi nodded, as though he knew what he wanted to say.

He probably did.

“My mother said I should lay flowers by the house.” He said, shifting beside Oikawa, “But there's so many reporters and stuff everywhere. And I didn't know if Kageyama-san would like it.”

“She was angry on the news.” Oikawa noted, “She wanted the site shut down for longer.”

Iwaizumi paused at that, before asking, “Have you been?”

“What? To where he was killed?” He asked back, blunt, hating that he felt Iwaizumi flinch, “Yeah. Twice.”

“No I - I mean after.” He looked at him with a frown then and Iwaizumi continued, “Without the police there.” After a moment, Oikawa shook his head, “… do you want to?”

_What did it matter?!_

“Why?” He snapped, “What the hell will it do? Is he going to materialise out now that it's quiet there for him?! Are his ashes going to reform when they feel my mark?”

Iwaizumi didn't react to his anger, letting him vent it out, “I'm going to put the flowers down for him.” He said after a pause and Oikawa crumpled, putting his face in his hands. 

“Right. Because he won't have a grave.” He realised aloud and Iwaizumi shut his eyes and turned away, “Or – he will. But it'll be empty. It won't be him.” His eyes stung, his heart pulsing in his ears, “Because he's _gone.”_

After a while, Iwaizumi stood, his voice low and patient as he asked again, “Do you want to go?”

Oikawa looked up at him and then at the television. He shook his head.

An hour later however, Iwaizumi held the police tape above both their heads and they ducked into the grounds.

There were signs everywhere to warn people off but there were no police now and most of the residents in the area were superstitious and would never cross over anyway.

The house that Sasaki had lived in was almost torn down now, graffiti covering it’s once white-painted exterior with red lettering.

_Murderer. Child demon. Fucker. Burn in Hell._

Oikawa stared at all of them, vindicated that others felt the same as he did.

Two dug out graves had been found previously and they almost walked into them, the holes left untidied near the garden fence. He remembered learning on the news that four pre-teens had been found piled into them, rope still tangled around their legs and wrists. They’d been left to suffocate in the mud and had been identified as missing children from years back.

Sasaki had said he’d burnt Tobio’s body out of panic that he’d run out of room to bury. He’d taken him despite his height because he’d seen innocence, apparently. Innocence he’d wanted to kill.

Oikawa looked at the graves before him and felt his face burn. He barely managed to turn in time when his stomach rolled and he bent, vomiting into the grass.

“You okay?” Iwaizumi put a hand over his back, rubbing, and he shook his head; gagging and spitting what was left out, “They took the bodies out already.”

“I know.” He rasped, but his imagination had conjured them nonetheless, and he forced himself to walk away, “Where are we going to put the flowers?” He then asked, trying to put death out of his mind. Iwaizumi joined him, flowers he’d bought on the way here held in one hand. They were white, with a few blue tulips hidden in them.

“The news said – they found blood near the walls. I thought there.” Iwaizumi said and Oikawa nodded, panting hard. He followed him over unkept grass and baseballs that must have been used to break the windows, his body still burning and it took him a moment to realise why.

_Wait._

“Wait.” He gasped, lifting his jumper up until he could stare down at his mark. It was still black from rejection but it was burning now, stinging into his skin, “Wait, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi stopped. “What is it?”

He pointed at his mark, holding his jumper up with another hand, “It – my mark. It’s hurting. Really hurting.” Manically, he spun on the spot, “Doesn’t that – ? That means he’s alive, right? He’s _alive!”_

Iwaizumi stepped toward him, shaking his head, “Oikawa.”

“I can feel it, Hajime.” He released his jumper and staggered over mounds of mud, darting his eyes around the garden.

“The police looked.” Iwaizumi reminded him, “With dogs. He’s not here.”

“He is. He is.” Oikawa pressed a hand to his mouth when his lips started to shake. He grabbed the nearest pile of mud and hauled it aside, diving to his hands and knees to try and dig. Iwaizumi put a hand on his shoulder but he shook it off, “He’s here, okay?! I can feel it.”

“Oikawa stop.” He clawed at the mud, desperate, “Oikawa _stop._ He’s dead.”

“No he’s not.” He spat, “I can feel him.”

Iwaizumi’s breath hitched and he raised his voice, “He’s _dead_ , Oikawa, I’m _sorry_. But he is.”

“No. No, he’s not, he – ”

_“Yes he is!”_

Standing, Oikawa shoved him hard until he fell back and scraped his hands over the dirt and glass littered around, “I can _feel_ my mark, okay!” He screamed, “I think I fucking know what that means!”

“No you don’t! It’s just burning because it’s fully rejected now!” Iwaizumi screamed back, “ _Okay?_ Because he’s gone!”

“Fuck you.” Oikawa spat, turning back to the mud and digging again. He heard Iwaizumi stand and braced for a punch.

“This was a bad idea,” He muttered instead, however, “We shouldn’t have come. We should go.” Oikawa ignored him, still digging, “Oikawa. Get up.”

He ignored him again but a hand tugged him back and he lost his balance. He clambered to his feet and punched Iwaizumi hard and it took a second for him to realise that he was crying, “Go fuck off then!” He growled, “I’ll look for him on my own.”

Iwaizumi clenched his hands into fists but he didn’t raise them just yet, his face red from the blow, “You think you’re the only one who’s upset he’s dead?!” He yelled and Oikawa scoffed, turning away.

“Just go Iwa-chan.”

“You were his soulmate, fine, but you _rejected_ him.” Iwaizumi continued, shoving him now instead, “That doesn’t give you any more right to him than everyone else that knew him! You think the police would _lie?_ They’d tell his mother if he was alive! But they didn’t! Because he’s FUCKING DEAD!”

Oikawa’s teeth ached when he unclenched them and he scrubbed at his face with his sleeves, “Keep yelling all you want.” He mumbled, “But I’m not leaving until I know for sure he’s not here.” He sniffed loudly, “I don’t care what you say about my mark, it never hurt like this when I rejected it before.”

“It wasn’t fully black then, that’s why.” Iwaizumi pointed out but he just shrugged. They both stood silently for a long while then, staring at the ground, until eventually Oikawa looked him in the eye.

“Iwa-chan.” His voice sounded dull, wrecked from his yelling, “I have to do this.”

They stared at each other for what felt like an hour and then Iwaizumi lowered his hands and sighed, “Fine. I’ll … I’ll help you look.” He said softly and that was all Oikawa needed.

He turned from him and went straight for the wall that Iwaizumi had said that there’d been blood over. The bricks nearby had been tainted a dark brown and what had once been blood was now just lines of insects and stench. His mark itched as it burned and he felt something hollow eat at him as he watched the procession of decomposition mock him.

The police had mentioned blood but it hadn’t matched Tobio's and yet still, it was blood nonetheless.

He left the area, stumbling in his haste to search. Tobio’s face was in his mind now, fresh with the hope that he’d see it again, and he used that as an incentive to search closely.

He’d rejected Tobio when he’d first found that their marks matched years ago, when Tobio had only been 12. He’d regretted it since but pride had gotten a hold on him and he’d refused to apologise for the mistake. His biggest regret however, was not telling the truth.

Tobio had confessed to him just before he’d left for University, and the animosity between them had dissipated after the match against Shiratorizwa but that hadn’t meant he’d been ready to face his feelings. Tobio had been ready however. Tobio had been braver than him.

He’d confessed despite knowing nothing about how Oikawa truly felt and he’d been rejected a second time. All because of Oikawa’s pride.

If he hadn’t rejected him, maybe their bond could have formed. Maybe they could have gotten closer. Maybe none of this would have happened and he would have been able to use their bond to find him.

He vividly remembered when he'd had to admit that he was Tobio’s soulmate for the investigation and the disappointment that he’d seen on the officer’s face when he'd realised Oikawa wouldn’t be much use if it was rejected.

It was rare to find a soulmate so young and it was rarer even when they could be used to find each other. Oikawa had had both rarities but he’d ruined them and now Tobio was gone.

His mark burned again, as though punishing him for that thought and he surged onward.

They searched and searched and the sun started to set but Iwaizumi never mentioned that they should go home. Oikawa assumed he was waiting for that to come from him instead but he couldn’t give up. Not yet.

The garden was huge but they exhausted every area. He didn’t know where else to look but the house and that had been torn apart by the police and teenagers. If Tobio was in there, he would have been found.

“The door’s open.” Iwaizumi pointed out when he noticed him glaring at it. “Last place to look.”

Oikawa walked past him and pushed it open. It creaked with overuse and almost fell from its broken hinges, “Careful here.” He murmured over his shoulder in warning, stepping further in.

The house was small, with stairs leading up to a bathroom and bedroom and stairs leading down to a basement, and as soon as he neared them, he gagged at the smell of rot.

There was a dead bird by the door too, bleeding and with a broken wing. It must have been hit by a stray rock, the poor thing, and he almost collected it to take outside and bury when he remembered why he was here.

_Tobio._

“Tobio!” He called through the empty house and though the windows were shattered and air whistled through it, his voice returned to him like an echo.

“That’s pretty loud for an echo.” Iwaizumi noted, “Is there a basement?” Oikawa nodded and he sighed, “It must be big then.” He pointed at the broken door and they both stepped through it carefully and inched down the steps.

There was a switch but as the door was broken anyway, daylight seeped in and it wasn’t needed. It would be dark soon however so Oikawa turned it on just in case, as he passed, squinting into the dust. There were sand bags down here, with wood and tools for carving it.

Along with sculptures of animals and children.

Sasaki had used that as a lie to hide Tobio the first time, when a witness had seen them together. He’d said that he’d brought him here to model him for a sculpture but that Tobio had left afterward. Sketches of Tobio and a model of his face had been enough to deter the officers for a while and in that while, he must have killed him.

Again, his mark burned at that thought and he winced.

Iwaizumi moved the sculptures aside, searching through cupboards and skips. Oikawa almost joined him but the wind from upstairs distracted him.

“I’ll be in the bedroom.” He said absently, not waiting for an answer as he climbed the stairs back out and then upstairs. The bedroom was simple and small, the wallpaper peeling from mould in the walls, “Tobio!” He called again, his voice hitching as his hope started to leave, _“Tobio!”_

He groaned with frustration and wondered if maybe Iwaizumi was right. His mark was just burning because its soulmate had died. And yet still, something pulled him further into the room and he searched under the bed and in the mattress and opened the wardrobe. There was a creak as he did and he jumped back with a cry when the body of a badger rolled out of it, dead and smelling it.

He gagged, kicking it away, and pressing a hand against the back of the wood that his heart was tugging him toward. He knocked and it flapped, thinner than the rest of its counterparts.

Too thin for the back of a wardrobe.

“Here. He’s here.” He climbed out of the wardrobe and tried to pull it back but it was bolted in and he didn’t have time to look for something to take it apart. He climbed back in instead and slammed a fist into the back wall. When that didn’t work, he kicked and kicked and yelled for help, “Iwa-chan!”

In a second, Iwaizumi bounded up the stairs, “Wh – ?”

“I need an axe!” He shouted over him, “From the tool stuff we saw down there!” He wasn’t questioned and a minute later, something hard slapped into his hand, “Move back.”

He raised the axe and swung it down, it’s weight more than he’d thought it’d be but it was aim that was more of a problem. Two more hits however and he used his hands to pry the wood away, chucking it out and patting the plaster that he found behind it.

“Oikawa?” Iwaizumi frowned at him, “You can’t get through that. I’ll go get – ”

“No. By the time you get someone, it’ll be too late.” He didn’t know how he knew that but he did and his swinging became frantic.

Once he hit the plaster hard enough however, it crumbled and he realised that it was only one layer. There to fool anyone into thinking it was a complete wall. Behind it was soil and he shoved his hands in, digging a way through.

Iwaizumi helped him, scooping mud out together like a pair of dogs searching for a bone, until finally Oikawa hit something wooden.

“There.” He panted, his fingers finding a gap and ripping it apart. His nails broke, blood dripping down his palms, but he continued to try as Iwaizumi pushed back any soil that fell over his arms.

They found handles then and grabbed one each, yanking it back hard as their backs screamed from the exertion. A wooden box slid out of the soil and they continued to pull, it’s weight threatening to pop their shoulders out of their sockets.

“Come on. Come _on.” Please. Please be alive._

Once out, Oikawa didn’t wait to recover and pried the axe into the previous gap that he’d made. The wood splintered and flew at him as he wriggled the metal through it, until he eventually hit a hinge and could break that off.

Iwaizumi helped him with the lid and inside was a smaller, locked box. He hit the padlock with the axe, three times until he hit it right, and then they took that lid off too and threw it aside.

A body lay within it, curled on one side and hugging what looked like a helium cannister but upon closer look, was an oxygen tank. Oikawa reached into the box to lift Tobio’s head up, feeling for a pulse, and he saw that a mask was fitted over his mouth and nose.

The tank read 0% however and panic bubbled in him.

“Tobio?” He saw breath fog the mask and almost choked on his relief, “Oh God. Thank God.”

“Is he breathing?” Iwaizumi leant over, his eyes wide.

“He’s alive. I knew it. He’s alive.” Oikawa trembled and Iwaizumi put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

“I’ll call an ambulance.” He said, leaving for better reception and to give their whereabouts whilst Oikawa stayed.

“Tobio?” He tried once they were alone, taking the mask off now that there was real air that he could breathe, “Tobio, it’s me. Oikawa.”

Tobio remained slumped, a cheek pressed to Oikawa’s palm and his blood smeared over his skin. He looked fragile, lain in here like a doll, and Oikawa felt his heart thud with both relief and fear.

_What if he didn’t wake up?_

“Tobio. Hey.” He bent as close to him as he could get with the box’s edge digging into his ribs, “Tobio wake up. Please wake up.”

He tried to put his hands under him, to lift him out and to lay him on the bed, but before he could there was a sound that made him freeze. A soft hiss of pain and his name spoken in barely a whisper.

“Oikawa … san?” He looked back down at his face and saw his eyes half-open, unfocused and wary, but as soon as they locked onto Oikawa’s they brightened, “Oi – ” Bending even further in, until his feet left the ground, Oikawa lifted his head up with both hands and kissed him hard.

“I’m going to get you of this, okay?” He whispered against Tobio’s lips and he felt him nod. Once he managed a good grip, he lifted him out into his arms and Tobio hissed from the sudden change in posture.

He whimpered when he was lain on his back too and when Oikawa lifted his shirt to check why, he saw a dark smattering of bruises down his spine. He rolled him onto his side instead, then, watching as Tobio heaved in breaths and stared up at him like he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Oikawa promised, brushing his hair back for him, “An ambulance is coming.” Tobio’s eyes started to slide shut and Iwaizumi stepped back into the room.

“They say to keep him awake.” He said, the phone by his ear, and Oikawa cupped Tobio’s face with his hands.

“Tobio, you need to stay awake.” He rubbed his thumb over his cheek, waiting for his eyes to open, “Tobio.” Tobio blinked them open and he smiled, “Good. Okay. Stay awake, alright?”

Tobio nodded obediently, before then visibly realising where he was, “No.” He whispered and Oikawa leant forward to cover his gaze.

“It’s okay, he’s gone.” He said, “He’s not here.” Tobio stared at him, “You’re okay.”

“My – my mark.” He winced and Oikawa nodded, “You used it.”

“Yeah.” They heard sirens whine in the distance and relaxed a little, “I’m so sorry I rejected it. I never meant it.”

“Now’s not the time, Oikawa.” Iwaizumi said but Oikawa wasn’t listening. Tobio’s dazed look had become almost smitten and he knew it was because he was in pain and low in oxygen, but Oikawa drank it in nonetheless.

He stayed with him until the ambulance arrived and then Tobio was put onto a stretcher and taken away. As soon as he was loaded into the back of an ambulance however, he whined and reached out for Oikawa’s hands.

“Wait – ”

“It’s alright now, Kageyama-kun,” One of the paramedics tried to keep him down, “You’re safe – ”

Oikawa watched as he tried to find him again and stepped onto the ambulance, “Could I ride on this?”

The paramedic looked at him and then at what he assumed was her boss, “I – ”

“I’m his soulmate.” He clarified and the other paramedic nodded.

“Take a seat.” He said and Oikawa looked back, over his shoulder.

“I’ll meet you there.” Iwaizumi promised and Oikawa nodded just as the doors shut. He sat down and Tobio immediately grabbed his hand. He held it tight, feeling the ambulance start to drive away.  

He overheard on the radio that the Police would meet them there and he was glad for it. He’d answer their questions of course, but nothing would save them from his anger once they were done.

And he hoped Tobio’s mother was there too because if they survived him, they wouldn’t survive her.

.


	2. Chapter 2

.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Oikawa was separated from Tobio when he was taken in to be assessed and to be given oxygen via a working mask. His mark ached when he was forced to let go of his hand but he knew that he needed medical care and the police gestured that he follow them anyhow.

He was taken to a small, vacated office and told to take a seat, left alone for a while before an older man stepped in. He sat still but felt antsy, glancing at the door constantly as he waited for someone to tell him that he could go and see Tobio again.

“Oikawa, Tooru.” The man interviewing him wrote on a pad and Oikawa looked at him, “Could you please tell me what happened today?”

He scoffed at the question. _Wasn’t it obvious?_

“I went to the site.” He said, giving the officer a dark look that wasn’t unnoticed, “And my mark started burning. I knew that meant he was alive. So we looked. And we found him.”

“We?”

“My friend. Iwaizumi Hajime.” He leant forward, “I W A I Z U M I.” He spelt it out and the officer paused, “He’s on his way here too so you can ask him yourself why we had to do your job for you.”

Now, the pad was put down, “Oikawa-kun.”

“Don’t call me that. We’re not friendly.” He snapped, “If it was left to you lot, he – ” A knock at the door cut him off and it opened a second later. Another officer peeked in.

“Sir. Kageyama-san is here.” Giving Oikawa a long look, the first officer stood and nodded and it was then that Oikawa recognised him from the news. He was the detective. He’d been in charge of this investigation.

Following him out, Oikawa saw Tobio’s mother march toward them and he almost flinched as though he was the one in the wrong, “Where is he?” She demanded and the detective held out a hand to pacify her, “Where is my _son?”_

“Kageyama-san – ”

“He’s being checked over by doctors.” Oikawa told her and she drank him in, “They said they’ll tell us when we can see him.”

Looking at him again, the detective stepped forward to take the attention off, “Kageyama-san,” He said and she snapped her head toward him, “I assure you, the doctors here will do whatever they can to make sure your son is okay.”

“Whatever they – ?” She scoffed, shaking her hair back and out of her face, “My son would not even BE here if he hadn’t been found! You told me he was ashes! You told me he was _dead!”_

“We believed that at the time, Kageyama-san,” The detective told her and Oikawa took a step to the side to leave the conversation. He was more interested in looking out for the doctors and his mark was driving him crazy with its stinging, “Sasaki admitted to – ”

“That bastard took my son and you believed him just like that? You took all your officers away, you didn’t even bother to double-check?!”

“We had previously searched that house before and had not found him – ”

“Well obviously you didn’t search hard enough!” She pressed a hand to her mouth for a moment, swallowing hard, “If he hadn’t been found, he would have suffocated, wouldn’t he. _Wouldn’t he?”_  

The detective nodded and she turned away, wiping at her face, “Kageyama-san – ”

“How was he found?” She asked then, whirling back around, “How did – how did Tooru-kun find him and not trained officers?”

She looked at him now, her eyes darting over his, and he swallowed past a tight throat, “I – used my mark. To find him.” He admitted and she paused.

“Your mark?”

Ashamed, he nodded, “I’m Tobio’s soulmate.” He said and she blinked once, twice, processing that. She must have known about the rejection but not who, and he was sure she knew her son had been desperately upset about it. He felt his heart palpitate as he waited for her response but in the end, she only nodded slowly.

“I see.” She whispered, “Your mark.”

Trying to save himself, the detective stepped in again, “We previously asked Oikawa-kun about his mark to see if we could use it to find your son.” He said, “But we were told it was rejected.”

Oikawa glared at him, “It _was_ rejected then.” He said and Tobio’s mother’s eyes flashed.

“Maybe you could have used his mark,” She snapped, “But the fact still stands that if he hadn’t gone there, Tobio would be dead!” She looked at him then, “Did your mark make you go?” He shook his head, “There you go! If any officers had been left there, they would have found him!”

“We checked that house, Kageyama-san,” The detective reminded her, “We had dogs sniff out Tobio-kun’s scent and we did not find him. Oikawa-kun was able to because of his bond – ”

“Did the dogs smell a dead badger?” Oikawa asked and he was stared at, “Like, did they find a dead badger and you thought that’s what they’d been smelling?”

“They thought they had a trail.” Tobio’s mother said, “But it led to a badger in the wardrobe. And there was nothing else there.”

“The dogs were smelling Tobio.” Oikawa said, “The badger was there to fool them. Sasaki must have done it on purpose when he put Tobio inside the wall.”

Looking at the detectives, Tobio’s mother asked for confirmation, “Is that true? Can that happen?”

The detective ran a hand through his thinned hair, “A dead animal can confuse a dog’s scent, yes, so we assumed that’s what they had been smelling. If Sasaki knew about that, then he could have used that against us.”

“Not could have,” Oikawa corrected, “He did. And all I had to do was hit the back of the wardrobe to know that there was something else back there.”

Openly glaring now, the detective opened his mouth to retort but the doors opened behind them and a doctor stepped out. Immediately, Tobio’s mother abandoned her anger and turned to her.

“My son.” She gasped and the doctor nodded.

“Your son is absolutely fine.” She said, “He’s very lucky in fact, any longer without oxygen and he would have suffered brain damage. He was found just in time.” The detective coughed into his hand, turning away, “There are a few bruises and traces of a sedative in his blood, so we’ll keep him here for a few nights, but other than that he’s free to go home once we’re sure.”

“Can I see him?” She asked and Oikawa stepped away. His time here was done, Tobio would be more aware of where he was now and wouldn’t want to see him if he’d been checked over. He should go. Maybe Iwaizumi was almost here, probably having gotten a lift from his mother, and he assumed that the reason he’d taken so long was because he’d had to explain why.

“Normally, I would say yes,” The doctor said gently, “But it’s a little more complicated than just a lack of oxygen now and he’s in a vulnerable state.”

“What does that mean?” Tobio’s mother asked and now was the perfect opportunity to slip away but he was curious himself about what that could mean too.

“A new bond can cause all sorts of emotional strife,” The doctor explained and Oikawa felt his heart falter, “And the bonded couple should stick together for at least 24 hours to solidify this. But after such an ordeal, we recommend that they do this alone to prevent further stress.”

Tobio’s mother looked at him and he froze, “I don’t – a new bond?” She asked and the doctor blinked.

“Oh I – did you not – ?” She cleared her throat, “I apologise. I assumed you knew.”

Ignoring her, Oikawa was pinned by Tobio’s mother’s gaze, “You bonded with him?” She asked and he felt as though he was suddenly on trial.

“I – don’t know.” He lifted his jumper up to check his mark. It was still dark but no longer black, colour seeping into it as he watched, “I – ”

He was tugged forward and braced for whatever was coming only to muffle a sound of shock when he was hugged. Tobio’s mother breathed into his neck, holding him tight, and he stared over her shoulder in shock.

“Kageyama-san?”

“It’s alright,” She whispered, letting him go and wiping at her eyes, “Go be with him, I’ll wait until the time’s up.” He stared at her, “Go.” She insisted.

“Kageyama-san, I didn’t mean to without your permi – ”

“Don’t apologise to me about this,” She said, “You saved my son’s life and if his body’s accepted your bond, then you don’t need my permission.” She gave him a gentle shove, “So go.”

Looking at her for another moment, he turned to the doctor and hesitated when the door was opened for him. His mark pulsed hard as he stood there however and any hesitation left with it.

He stepped through and was led into a private room, the door shutting behind him to remind him that they were going to be left alone. His mark pulsed again and he took in a deep breath.

Tobio was lying over a bed when he saw him, and though he looked asleep, Oikawa knew he wasn’t. He was in a hospital gown now and it’s open back showed the bruises there in a cold light.

Instinctively, Oikawa sat beside him on the bed and lay a hand over them, trying to take the pain and feeling the warmth seep through his skin. Tobio shifted in surprise at the touch, rolling over and staring up at him.

“Hey.” Oikawa whispered and before he could react, Tobio was sitting up as much as he could and dragging him into his arms, “Okay, hey – ”

“Sorry.” Letting him go, Tobio sat back, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, “My mark was really hurting, I kept telling them I needed you here.”

“What, still?” Oikawa asked, raising an eyebrow, and when Tobio looked confused at that he changed the subject, “Does your back hurt?”

“A little.” He shrugged, “Your hands were cold though.” Oikawa opened his mouth to apologise, “They felt nice.” Still slightly weak, he slid further down the pillows until he was lying down again and he winced when the movement rubbed against his bruises, “Are you staying here?”

“I guess so.” Oikawa assumed, “The doctors said – we bonded. So. Yeah.”

“You kissed me.” Tobio remembered, his tone soft and unaccusing, and Oikawa nodded.

“I thought you were dead, Tobio.” He whispered, his eyes stinging, “We all did. They said he’d burned you and I – I thought you’d died without knowing the truth.”

“The truth?” Tobio asked, his lips barely moving and his eyes were sliding shut. Oikawa smiled down at him, brushing a hand over his cheek.

“That I should never have rejected you.”

Tobio hummed, sleepy, “Oh.” In a second, he was asleep and Oikawa rose to give him space. Before he could however, Tobio opened his eyes and grabbed him, “No. Stay.” He ordered and Oikawa paused.

He was in his clothes from the site, muck and dust and god knew what else all over him. He looked around the room and found a small chest of drawers by the door. He stood to open it and felt Tobio’s eyes on him as he did. Inside was a spare gown and he took his jumper and jeans off, along with his pants, to put it on.

Tobio had looked away as he’d undressed, out of decency, and Oikawa snorted with endearment, at that. He didn’t have anything Tobio didn’t but he supposed that that was the innocence everyone described when they looked at his soulmate.

Once he was dressed, he put his clothes on a chair and climbed into the bed. Tobio turned toward him like a moth to flame and wrapped his arms around him, shivering from the chill until the two of them were warm enough and curled together.

Sasaki had wanted to kill Tobio because of his innocence, he remembered, and he pressed a hand to the top of Tobio’s head, stroking the hair down and resting his chin over it.

“How did he hurt you?” He asked into the sudden quiet and Tobio tightened his grip around him.

“If I didn’t stay still for his models, he’d hit me.” He said, “He beat me once. It’s why my back hurts.” Oikawa breathed in slowly, “But mostly, he just scared me. He couldn’t decide how he wanted to kill me and he kept telling me that.”

“Did he ever hit your face?” Oikawa asked and at a nod, he pulled back slightly until he could dip down and press a kiss to Tobio’s cheek. He kept it slow, his lips against his skin for longer than they needed to.

“What about your arms?” He then asked and when Tobio nodded again and he lifted one from under the blanket to press a kiss to the inside of his wrist, “Tell me everywhere he hurt you. Let me get rid of it.”

Tobio looked at him, his eyes wide and blown in the darkening room, and he leant forward on the instinct that Oikawa was running on to kiss him. Oikawa kissed him back, mouthing over his lips and he felt tears run down his face in the relief that he could do this.

Tobio stopped when he sobbed, kissing his cheek in return, “Oikawa-san?”

“I thought you were dead, Tobio-chan,” He hiccupped, “God I thought – I’d never see you again. I thought you died thinking I hated you.”

Tobio smiled, sleepily, patting his head like he was a child, “I knew you didn’t hate me, Oikawa-san,” He said, “Our marks were never properly rejected. It’s how you found me right?”

Oikawa pulled back, looking at him, “What?”

Tobio nodded, his eyes drooping, “I knew you’d find me.” He yawned, “If I used my mark too.”

Oikawa stared at him, something bubbling in his chest until he suddenly felt the _need_ to kiss him again and again. Their marks tingled as they lay together over the bed and Oikawa held Tobio close to his chest, relishing in the sensation of even having him there alive.

“I knew you’d find me.” Tobio repeated, “I could feel you there.”

.

**Five Months Later.**

.

_“In other news, the case of Kageyama Tobio has recently sparked controversy over the fact that possibly-rejected soulmates can still use their marks to find each other, if their marks are not fully-black.”_

_“This case was one of the first documented for this phenomenon and many people have since refuted it as a fluke. However, regardless of this, police have integrated it into their procedure and will use rejected soulmates to search as much as they would have used bonded.”_

_“This is mainly because in Kageyama Tobio’s case, the bond saved his life just a day after his family and friends had been told that he was dead and was burnt by child-murderer Riku Sasaki. Despite the unique circumstances of the bond, Kageyama Tobio and his soulmate Oikawa Tooru are still bonded and are working on getting stronger.”_

The reporter turned to her co-worker, _“In fact, wasn’t there an announcement that they would be making their bond official once Kageyama Tobio turned eighteen?”_

The co-worker nodded, _“According to their parents, yes, they are planning on officiating their bond in a few years.”_

Oikawa snorted, switching the television off. Beside him, Tobio snuggled closer, having called to let him know that his mother was out and he smiled.

They were way past officiating. But whatever made the adults of this world happy.

.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic with this prompt, second one is coming when this one is complete :)
> 
> Comments are Golden!


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